Credits: Biovision-Infonet
(c) Clemson University – USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org
Stored groundnuts are attacked by moths (Ephestia cautella, Plodia interpunctella, Cadra cautella), and beetles (Caryedon serratus, Tribolium castaneum, Trogoderma granarium).
The larvae of moths and the grubs and adult beetles bore into and damage seeds.
Moths cause extensive webbing.
The bruchid beetle Caryedon serratus is the major pest of groundnut in pod shell in West Africa.
A good post harvest pest management programme based on good storage practices is very important.
What to do:
- As most post-harvest groundnut pests except bruchids are unable to penetrate intact pods, leaving the crop in the shell for as long as possible during storage is an effective method of limiting damage.
- Research into low cost technology to protect stored groundnut showed that Samadaka (Swartzia madagascariensis), 2 kg of powdered fruits to treat 100 kg groundnuts, was very effective against bruchids and moths for the groundnuts stored in granaries.
- Addition of sand as an abrasive material at the farm level was very effective (INPhO Compendium)